1999 Opel Astra Reviews

1999 Opel Astra IE 200 Euro from South Africa

Summary:

This car is a poor man's mercedes!

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

The car is really fast and road handling is excellent. There's always enough power available, can clock 210km/h fairly easily, but can be noisy. Fuel consumption is relatively excellent, can get over 600km on a full tank (very impressive for a 2 litre engine).

10th Sep 2012, 08:11

I have sincerely enjoyed driving my Opel Astra 1.8L Ecotec engine. She is definitely a beauty on the road; fast and definitely furious. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone with an affordable budget.

1999 Opel Astra CDX 2.0 16v from South Africa

Summary:

Faults:

Cam belt tensioner needs replacement every 40000km or so (becomes very noisy), Air conditioner pipes runs too close to exhaust manifold and as a result mine had to be replaced at 120000km's.

General Comments:

Brilliant road holding & handling, excellent economy for a 2,0l. Very comfortable car on the open road. Very good performance especially once it's going over 120km/h. Quiet - easy to exceed speed limit without noticing!

8th Feb 2007, 18:49

Hi, the abnormal loss of power in your Opel Astra is something that I have checked with my car as well, it also has an abnormal loss of power right now. The garage tried checking the air flow meter (electronic sensor) but according to them its not the problem. They have checked everything from coolant contaminants, fuel pump system, engine leaks, even checked for possible overhaul, but they are puzzled. It's a weird problem, no matter how much they try to readjust the engine over and over again, the loss of power comes back and the engine becomes off and shaky. I need help. thanks.

1999 Opel Astra XL 1.4 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A good workhorse

Faults:

Head gasket started leaking at 45000 miles, a common fault caused by poor engine block design (one of the oil bores is too close to the side of the engine block, leaving only enough space for a small section of gasket). It also got plenty of revving since I've had it, although now I only go above 2,500 rpm after the engine is warmed up.

It failed to start one day, after which a tow-start got it going. I never found out the problem, but it may have been a stuck valve. Some petrol additive (lubrication) seems to have solved the problem.

Other owners have reported problems with headlights and blown fuses, but I've had no electrical problems.

Drivers seat has lost its firmness, the car now feels much better from the passenger's seat.

General Comments:

Although its only a 1.4 petrol engine, there is plenty of power available if you need it. The engine is a bit weak at low revs, but at about 3000 rpm it kicks in nicely. There is plenty of power in fifth for cruising and overtaking, but you may want to drop down a gear or two to get past just that bit quicker.

The engine is quiet enough to not be intrusive, although at 70 (miles per hour) it doesn't sound as comfortable.

Lovely comfortable car to drive, nimble around the city, but big enough to be good for a long drive also.

Handling is excellent - a very safe car, I haven't got it badly out of shape yet, despite a couple of fast drives in wet and icy conditions.

For a 1999 car, it really should have anti-lock brakes as standard.

Cabin is OK, a bit "black plastic city", and the glove-box rattles a bit, a fault which also happened on the Kadett which I had before it.

The cabin ventilation is quite poor - with a couple of passengers on a cold wet day, the rear door windows will fog up.

Same applies to the door mirrors. Whatever they have made the mirrors from (its some kind of mirrored plastic), they seem to fog up in no time, and no amount of wiping will clear them. I am considering changing the mirrors for electric heated ones.

Despite all of the above, I like the feel of the car compared to the likes of the Focus, or Almera etc. There's something a bit more solid about it, and it feels like a safer car. It has just enough useful room without having the higher purchase or running costs of a bigger car.

19th Jan 2005, 09:12

I have read your review and I totally agree. I have a 1999 Astra Club model and I think the head gasket has wore away as I am having to fill the water up on a regular basis. Other matters such as foggy windows and the driver's seat losing its firmness sounds correct. Although this is of little concern as the car is fabulous to drive and performance really well, even with a poor head gasket. Top Buy!!

7th Jun 2005, 09:10

Agree with all that was said in the original post. Head gasket has just gone on mine at 54,000 miles and I needed the timing belt replaced at 51,000. Pity I didn't know about the gasket problem at the time or I would have had both done together. I have the 1.4 Club 1999 and find it a fantastic drive, very reliable and comfortable on long journeys. Far better fuel economy than Golf or Megane (wife's car) and superb handling with a bit of zip. Couldn't recommend highly enough.

27th Jan 2007, 17:03

I Just bought a 99 Opel Astra 1.4 4door and I've noticed that the temperature guage is reading 3/4 way hot, the mileage is high enough at 144k and I'm thinking now its the start of the head gasket on the way out.I've noticed also that FAN seems not to be cutting in at all and it could be down to this, when I put the heating on in the car on full, the temperature gauge drops to half way and even when I turn the car off for about a 20 minutes the gauge still stays at halfway.. could anyone let me know if you had the same or similar problem or if you have any useful information on this could you contact me on 0851504419.